BLACK POTTERY FROM BISALHÃES

Material: Black ceramic
Origin: Trás-os-Montes, Portugal, circa 1960

The black pottery of Bisalhães is a unique pottery technique developed in the village of the same name, located in the parish of Mondrões in northern Portugal. It is unmistakable for its intense black color, achieved by clogging the earthen kiln with moss and sand to trap the smoke and thus color the pieces inside. This pottery tradition was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO and included on the list of heritage in need of urgent safeguarding, as by 2013 only four elderly potters remained who continued to produce it using archaic methods, documented at least since the late 17th century.